One suggested cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is asphyxiation when infants sleeping face down rebreathe the air they have exhaled into their bedding. This may be alleviated by providing a mattress that is permeable to air, allowing expelled air to flow away, and thus allowing the infant to breathe fresh air.
Conventional mattresses are not sufficiently permeable to air, and can act as insulators. In a hot climate this is undesirable as it makes it more difficult for a sleeping person to lose heat. Furthermore, the sleeping person may accumulate sweat. Hence, there exists a need to provide a mattress that is, inter alias permeable to air and liquids, allows air to transport away a quantity of heat, and does not accumulate as much sweat.
In a conventional mattress liquids will soak into the mattress, effectively ruining the mattress. This is particularly problematic with infants who may spill drink, regurgitate or urinate on their bedding. A plastic sheet may be fitted, but this increases the risk of asphyxiation and makes the bed uncomfortable. Hence, there also exists a need to provide a mattress that is, inter alia, permeable to liquids and allows the liquids to flow away, where they may be collected below the mattress in a suitable container.
Household dust is a common trigger for allergies and asthma, reducing the levels of household dust in a bed can be expected to provide health benefits for those individuals affected by household dust. This applies particularly to infants, for whom allergies may not have been identified, and who spend long periods in bed.
Hence, there also exists a need to provide a mattress that is, inter alia, permeable to air and liquids whilst providing adequate support without excessive deflection, and which has lower levels of household dust than conventional mattresses.
For similar reasons as hereinbefore mentioned, there also exists a need to provide a pillow that is, inter alia, permeable to air and liquids, and which has lower levels of household dust than conventional pillows.
Existing patents describe mattresses, consisting of fabric stretched over a frame, that are permeable to air and liquids. A problem with this design is excessive deflection under load; this forces the person sleeping to the centre of the mattress. Furthermore, such a mattress may not offer appropriate support for the back, and standing on the mattress is difficult and dangerous.
Hence, there also exists a need to provide a mattress that provides, inter alia, adequate support throughout the surface of the mattress, and may be beneficial to older infants who move about and stand on the mattress, but are still at risk of asphyxiation.
Existing patents also describe mattresses consisting of a thick layer of permeable foam whereby the mattresses are permeable to air and liquids. However, thick layers of foam are generally not sufficiently permeable to prevent asphyxiation. Furthermore, weight placed on thick foam compresses the foam, which reduces the permeability of the foam.
Existing patents also describe mattresses designed to prevent asphyxiation by pumping air into a foam mattress. The present invention discloses, in part, a mattress which does not require such a pumping mechanism, and which seeks to improve reliability and ease of use, reduce cost, complexity and the risk of electric shock.
This identifies a need for an improved type of mattress, and/or pillow, which overcomes the problems inherent in the prior art.